talons to make war: seleena
by Minaj-a-twah
Summary: now this ois some if te purposedful pliothols placed in this stirty line the very last ting im otbsbly asiridfkly il ever tyoe hersa i diont men to dki anymoresas unuless i see someting realy ihnvbigirating abd ir useful to tuoe sountil thensa yeh hjm hmmsa om;ete basuxalyt just as lot of eduiton to gooooo


- ** _five years current-_**

another. another of the little sneaks theyd caught 'not completely loyal' or some illogicality like that. two-no three night furys , three of them, all scrawnier then their caper was, herded and prodded the bulky furious teeth gnashing form into the cave. not any cave. "whats this?" said a voice deep and rich and warn, hearing the threesome elaborate. a roar echoed loudly from the entrance, causing the eavesdropping fury clutching the rock outside to wince. "keep quiet" snapped another. "well we caught another one. this tiame not far from our nest. one of them spies for the sky perhaps? no way to know,. thats my guess. we could tell it gave off that im-better-then-all-life-and-i-know-it aura. it tried to fly but we got him, or her. couldn't really tell. they're a big one though. most of our catch are our size." "how many are it there left from the bad dragons rule?" demanded that same snappy voice. "yahh you can speak now." the sounds of a scuffle within as if making sure its wings were bound while insuring they stood well out of it plasmablast range.

thats what the eavesdropper outside thought anyway. "wheres the real nest ruler? we know him as smaller. whose this excuse? this cant be him. youll all pay for this. youll suffer the all mighty god protectors power. itll make it one if its own, then drain that energy, killing you most painfully. itll show no mercy. itl-" hastily bound again. "yah yah apoptotic cataclysmic end. heard this from the followers before you who said it before them. we freed from the things hold. you got anything new? what did you know of your leader?" "id like to ask the questions if i may" interrupted that deep female voice a bit testily "such as this one: when did you feel the need to bring them to me personally? their lost and confused without their leader to guide them. it should be freed." a scoff. "well nest ruler it came from the other one. silverwingthefurys son. it was his idea to make sure no others of our colony were lost to the sky." she trailed off as if erring on the side of caution. "his idea really. though i agree with the concept."

another muffled whimper hinting their captive might've bitten a tail or a nostril. "i wont talk. i dont spill secrets in the faces of rebel scum. our leader will be back eventually. if not her, another. there will always be a leader to guide us, the voice of the illuminated master. no one can smother that. you think just because that son of our revered loaw okar started a petty war and swindled your side some dragons to be blind again including the demise of our great leader makes you gods. so smug and haughty. well youre wrong. youll have to end me. a sacrifice i, as a mighty follower of guarding loaw veens personnel cave am honored to take. i once was-" "enough out of you. for one so willing to clam his jaws he sure rambles about the evil he was once seduced by" said another of the three furys. the eavesdroppers snout outside sobered. so thats who theyd captured. one of the giant sentinels personally placed by ontonycterys to guard her cave for threats, particularly aranidae, now reformed vipre somewhere in this nest."

"a fury this fury avoided like the plague, just in case some remenent of the old mischievous self lurked behind that jittery denenour. he was the other large hulking sentinel. an audible sigh reached his ear frills "well well have to put him in confinement until either i or korin can have a talk with him. ill leave it to my predecessor frankly. hes better at those set of situation then i am. im still getting used to my role. right now its time for us to hunt and i have greater matters to discuss." this was enough for the other former eavesdropping sentinel, quietly unfurling his biggish ebony wings to push off the side of the rock before taking flight. so the nest ruler believed the systematic capturing of reformed followers. it made sense. he was sure there were logical reasons for them. but still. hos deceased leader told him sine things loyally. others, through action. there was a few instances this nest furyd never forget. when ontonycterys assigned him to his role. a few tales indeed that shown how capable a leader loaw veen was. and one nearly extinction even before she _was_ leader. as he few the former sentinel flew, and remembered...

* * *

 _ **-twenty one days** **before**_ _ **reformed**_ **_peace-_**

loaw veen ontonycterys winged into her private cave, plus the brand new duo of follower sentinels placed there by the leader herself, feeling tattered but triumphant. ah: another day of preparation. a time to know when it came. a war. loaw veen knew one was coming. the sentinels outside, like the news shed received on a certain patriotic night fury barely out of dragonethood, were days old. meaning solely one thing: korin had returned, loaw Zara failed to neutralize her sons wayward behavior. most predominantly his uncanny ability lately to sway anyone to join his, kind of like her very annoying subordinate rearing his ugly plotters head aranidae but possessing none of the false charisma he bright to the job, cause for justice. justice: thats the word that diminutive little reptile used? sad.

sadder still all those unfortunate creatures fell for it. not surprising that many creatures joined the wretches cause. as such ontonycterys had her own plans. her wit told her whatever that kicked-out nest ruler did itd involve gathering some sort of protection for himself and his friends. well the leader had her own. she couldnt ask for a better present. the influence of her first dose of nest fury into followers during the monstrous nightmare onslaught the grounds to sow the required chaos for her work. she did her part: the night sky took care of the rest. time had not been so kind since then, no more followed that big a size. korin wouldnt let her. he had the hearts of his furys tightly wound around his possessive yet persuasive tail. theyd blindly loyally follow him anywhere. a few cone to see the enlightenment, nearly enough. the leaderd have to make due with what she had. what did she have, the most tactful queen of them all? followers. loyal. gentle protective paw over those who wished to lead them back back to the emptiness of forgetfulness, separated from the master.

what did she have? the steely will of second leader loaw dagny, without that drastic slash and roar when things went the other way. the rapiers wit of loaw azeros, minus the smug supreme arrogance that trailed after him like a cloak. not to mention the ability to hatch plans above his station. the cold calculation of loaw perna/Nona, not letting the past come back to become an obstacle in her way. the sharp aggressiveness and ruthlessness of loaw okar, the first of the beginning of the dragons ti answer the god protectors gifts...lacking the flaws that power corrupted his past, made him bitter. lest anger rule him. ontonycterys was all of those...at the same time none of those. better. stronger. wiser. she was the susesser of five her previous, and ontonycterys studied those before her, learned from them. saw the best trait in each and accepted rigidness wouldn't help them.

loaw perna learned that the hard way, born unto a position by perseverin, came and went. flexibility was the kea to overcoming the blinds resolve. letting fear and anger control you; as well a wielding it as a weapon could consume you in the end. pity kahuakhaun, huge and handsome as he was, hadnt learned that. otherwise ed be right here right now and ontonycterys would not. of what use was a dragoness that went around vengefully butchering half her children of the night? particularly when things didnt go exactly her way? was the gaze of red that thick she didnt see the need for pawns? alliance sake? perseverin went down in her own vermilion once after a freedom fighter (Nona). it took effort on ontonycterys part to play by her rules. arrogance and overconfidence meeting power and pristigue: not a healthy tangibility. who did aranidae think he was?

thought he _deserved_ that title the moon gave him? lacked humility for the role. holding plans instead of his creators? sometimes loaw veen wondered why the god protectord not reduced him to a follower; most certainly too complex a fury to be left alive, im fact. a dragon scarcely worth meeting death. but still ontonycterys had use and needs for them, for now. princely useful as distractions so she could go about her work faithfully of her creater more freely. so if word got out that their biggest threat to thier new lifestyles was back, near, the majority of her followers who hadnt yet learned not take that well. ontonycterys secret spies in the land knew of course. a few followers to copperwings patriotic defiant charm broke their hold unto blindness loaw veen could afford to lose. not all of them.

him suddenly appearing among-st his former members of his colony spinning lie after enrapturing lie could very well spell disaster, leading ontonycterys back where she started. "well that will not happen here, for i have plans in place for that. and if they do...i will be ready." the two hulking breeders of darkness outside insuring nothing disturbed her unless otherwise permitted were part of that plan. partly due to loaw azeros late careless disregard for the rules, stealing her dark mirror away, partly for other purposes. her opponentsd make fun of her for it; claim shes walling her scaly self in a cave. cornered to a wall with little resources and no way out. how wrong they are. how wrong.

...

a few days went. not much occurred per loaw veens orders. stay here if possible. dont let the blind fool you. other then that they hunkered in copperwings former home, fortifying the defenses, practicing claw combat and otherwise waiting., waiting for korin and whatever meager allies hed dragged to his cause to come to them. if that brat wanted his reformed friends his nest back, hed have to come and take it from them. loaw veen looked forward to that moment when he came here expecting a perseverin savageness scene and discovered something utterly different. a future where he failed to sow unrest here. in fact most here of unity to the master that showed the blind they had two options: join and serve the master or die. it was was simple as that. loaw veen waited on the move of the blind. shed played her scale-in the-sand-piece, now it was their move. what would they do? what choice would copperwing take? all part of the poise and surprise of the option open to the opposition. loaw veens mind turned to the recently acquired made-to-see follower and lost again to her apparently: loaw zara. a weakling named torrid. the real true mother of korin.

upon bonding with the moon her memory came back. all of it! this time obedient to her authority as thew chosen one. in some aspects cordons and aviis jobs tracking her other subordinate leaders was a mercy. they didnt have to experience the waiting feelings loaw zarad have to. her task was more intimate. but loaw veen knew she could do it. the leader wondered what the followerd go through, when she reminded her what relationship she had with her her solitary task wouldnt be easy. hed be stubborn as could be. do whatever method she deemed necessary to sway her rightful dragoness. her breeder of darkness had seemed monstrously surprised at that revelation, promising shed do what she could Before the leader sent her off to find him. her spies informing her the newly spotted free furys from there overheard overheard meeting another snippets hinted that quite possibly loaw zaras failure. not to mention being free again. no longer bonded to the god protector ontonycterys couldnt communicate in her mind to learn what went on beyond the shores of this land.

not to worry. she was prepared for all contingencies. she raised her voice to make herself herd. "one of you, children of the night. fetch me a follower and bring him here. they have work to do." "yes great one" then the receding sound of wing-beats. loaw veen settled into wait, making herself comforter-able. she wasnt that surprised at that moment when she was partially guarded, a wet sounding flapping of swings drew her gaze to the other sentinels gruff barely contained feeling toward the intruder: disgust. ontonycterys talons remained sheathed. if itd been slippery loaw azeros shed been out that cave in a heartbeat stabbing her talons through his skull. she had a good guess to who the identity of the other. her mild mannered face was right. "stop there. you answer to me. all visits must go through us if you want to see your leader." instructed the intimidating large breeder of darkness. "let me through! i must...speak with...the leader! i am...in great...pain-n. g-great pain! _let me through!"_

a scuffle ensued at the entrance, the sentinel easily prohibiting and overpowering the new arrival loaw veen waited a few seconds, mildly amused, as its shouting desperately repeated. "no! let me through!" the leader rose to her paws, giving her back a leisurely stretch. "do so, in interested to hear. that was an order." she recognized that voice, the furys unguarded desperate snout soon after. looking now at the state her follower was in now, something twitched inside ontonycterys. she was allowed that. it could be said she felt her twisted misshapen version of pity and slight sadness for her, in the manner not of wellbeing for her personally, rather what her assailantd done to her. it was a message. loaw veen knew the arrival...and whod done this to her. she rose to the short distance toward the other when the breeder of darkness promptly collapsed at her thickly muscled paws. loaw veen knelt, paws delicately holding the head of the night fury. "cordon my child...what _happened?_ tell me my sister of the night. tell me."

though she already knew. she wanted to hear it from the other, to logically absorb back information about the encounter. cordon was a nasty mess. vermilion spattered and oozed from several mortal wounds ontonycterys surmised not heal. cordon was bleeding out. a slow end. _he_ had not been kind to her _._ from her malformed gait getting in here, cordons back legs severely twisted beyond repair. she coughed liquid on her paws even now. list went on. loaw veen felt a quiet tampered anger at a certain dragon then. above whatd previously allowed herself to feel from the moment she created him. she wouldnt let her follower see it, for its sake. shed make cordons suffering as painless as possible. "i...dont know, exactly great leader. you...tought me as...you...knew...but...i did not...expect everything. there was another out there. female. orange patterns. im sorry i disappointed...you oh great one. i cane to tell you i failed." the leaders eyes flicked to the wings, apparently largely intact despite the lacerations everywhere else on her body. "your wings?" cordon shuddered beneath her cradled paws coughing more vermilion. "ah those. i...dont know great leader. i couldnt...figure that out."

loaw veen could. insurance to live to tell the tale of his triumph over one of their own. her anger rise all the more. "its like he...was frustrated by this other. blinded fury, i think. my...target was that traitor. had...to knock. a tree onto her to battle freely. im...sorry i failed my leader." ontonycterys cradled the shuddering creature. "dont be silly my child. you didnt fail me. your confession is worth it. i understand. you were a very good dragon, my child. the master would be very proud of you." her follower relaxed slightly. proud at cordons obvious enormous efforts to reach her. and anger at her subordinates precise delicate yet brutalic treatment of one of their own. a different story entirely. she felt a certain kind of delicate sadness here., she didnt realize her follower spoke until she did. cordon didn't look too well. in fact she appeared just short of collapsing. "end me. please. kill...me" the eyes pleasured.

ontonycterys didnt flinch or flick her claws as vermilion splashed at her newest hack. her unscathed wings sagged limp. "spare me...the suffering that traitor committed. please, my leader. lease spare me. no matter...what you say...i know...i failed. i would be...glad to serve the master. kill..me." the snout spoke more then her words. "please great one. you lead us toward enlightenment. lead me to my next life. spare me the pain...aranidae did to me, i plead." loaw veen detected no falseitivity there. shew commanded signals from her mind to her muscular encrusted thick forearms, giving a violent yank sideways. "rest easy my child. you served the night sky well. my subordinate gets whats coming very soon." snap! cordons body slumped heavy suddenly beneath her paws, a dead weight. normally another night fury couldnt break the bones in the neck of another fury. but ontonycterys wasnt usual. gift of strength in the paws and wings wasnt for everyone. the follower hadnt made a sound, not a cry of pain. she had made her last moments painless, just as shed said. a procise movement. her snake tongued subordinates fate, not so pleasant. loaw veen sat there with the lifeless follower, silently staring off into space, brooding and mourning.

* * *

 _ **-six moths to reformed peace-**_

not everything involved playing her pebbles pawns and moves well, daring the energy to impede her paving the way for her moons plans, some were simply a matter of survival. what of that fateful twilight eve? when no nest fury knew what she was up to, that dissenter seleena? former seleena flapped ion place just outside the mouth of the cave in the rocky net, enjoying the feeling from the night sky flow into her. all that unexpected bloodlust. all that tingly delicious feeling spiking in her veins. wonderful. her tongue snaked out unbidden. a cry resounded from her brown throat: "yessss! yesss! build it! feel the power! glory and might, your essence, the rebirth! the desire to convert more! feed the energies to me!" something, a name perhaps, a title of honor maybe slipped into her mind with everything else she was feeling at the moment, unable to contain her joy at feeling this...alteration of her world.

threaten to overwhelm her. the ability at last, at **last** remembering things shed been sealed off from for far too long. "i am loaw veen ontonycterys! hahahahaaaaaaaaa!" she startled as a voice hissed like a snake directly into an ear plate, though there was no one physically there. "ssavory yessss? dont be scard. the blind kept thissss dragon from me. the one to sssoon be the chossen one of them all." now with her memories restored loaw veen realized what it referred to: silverwing, standing around up there on high, head and manner mirroring as such. so... **full** of himself. a leader. but one ontonycterys right away disliked. not so much par say as more referring to him how he went about trying to get the job done. "i must be better then him. i must sussed where him and others have not."

how exactly go about doing that on her own though? "you have my powerssss. ussse therm sssmartly. do what musst be done thisss child of the night. you have what it takesssss. usse it." if that was ever a sour call to action this was it. ontonycterys mind began thinking. her eyes roamed at the still silent night beyond her cave. the smallish confined world shed confined herself to as something less then her truth-seeing self now. a loud snore reached its sound out and rapped her head as if reminding her it was there. she pivoted to stare into that cave. her former home. now the entire land. her eyes narrowed. "ill have to get rid of these excuses. i cant have any witnesses. even sleeping ones. no one must know my transformation just yet." her eyes lifted to the top of the nest, way above. "sorry nest ruler of mine no more." they were still there where she last left them, arms flopped askew, blissfully ignorant what went on outside.

they didnt have to retrieve the brutal fate, then. just the eternal one. once just as unaware no so much more. she went right for the first prone form, her claws out and ready. the battle experience flooded back to her naturally. that one woke with an angry start to find a searing sensation in his throat and chest followed shortly after by pain in his wings. acting on instinct that woefully unprepared fury threw himself toward the cave mouth, opening his wings to take flight. he might've made it out to do...well whatever his fogged mind felt like doing, if his half sleepy frenzied mind realized an attacker was in the cave with them or the fact she was the shadow framed grabbing onto his tail. ontonycterys turned, muzzle and talons slick with the vermilion of the throats stomachs and under the jaws shed slashed killing silencing blows to, saw her first target making a maddened dash for freedom and rushed.

night fury plasma was too loud and could make additional din at this silent hour then necessary. stealth and escape were golden here. time to be known as the god protectors chosen one could come later. her thickly muscled forearms had no trouble taking brunt of the away-pulling nest furys tail. she yanked back. his muffled indignant yelp, quickly silenced. the last target a dull blue female yawned loudly. "would you keep it down too much noise." she said, upside down, crackling her eyes open half lidded. she didnt see loaw veen framed gallantly in the cave mouth breath slightly ragged from her first few kills. the follower smiled to herself thinly, marching toward the voice and the last of her immediate problems.

...

that hadnt taken long at all thought loaw veen. and she rather enjoyed that brief bout of violence. a necessity for her survival to begin the moons path to truth for all beings. it also satisfied her first curious taste of ending a life via her bloodlust feeling. fulfill her need to kill. shed however not be like any of the others. shed avoid the obvious kill and convert logic. she knew there were others before her, she knew that now. but how many? by the moment words moments situations environments and dragons flooded her mind as she pieced her jumbled past together coherently to where she was presently. critical for her to breach into the future, days, weeks, years ahead to formulate plans against whats surely to rear its head. for her a future high blessed dragon of the god protector must be smart. thinking intelligently. shed have to adjust to her new forms and abilities before extending her reach to her surroundings.

looking about her small environment rocky cave laden walls she formed more plans thinking ahead. "ill leave these bodies here for the blind on the morning to see. lest they see, and fear the coming truth. i think ill leave them a message, even, if their too dull-witted like these seven to notice. let them know my intent. oh yes. theyll know my name." she was in no urgency to complete it. her eyes roved to the nearest wall, half way to the entrance and the caves rear. then down to her freshly vermilion spattered talons. an idea formed. first she rolled the cooling bodies into a loose pile then set to work on the wall. naturally protruding spikes and abnormal shaped nodules sheared off like water saturated salmon beneath her casual swipes. clearing away her writing-to-be was dragnets' play. she paused, her infamous 'ink' drying by the minute. what to say?

something bold? something patriotic? smart? she settled on a combination of cryptic, sutabe, telling and with a hint of time. her paws carved the first words, ensuring the blood of the free furys congealed neatly into the groves. " _be warned, gathered forces of the blind._ yes that sounds satisfying. they need to know they have options open to them. on a limited time frame before their options are taken away." her jaws formed a thin determined line, half an ear frill attuned to any unusual sounds outside as she resumed her work. " _where i am going, truth and glory await discovery."_ a path opened to all. time and again these silly at times blasphemous creatures refused to see her way. perhaps through her coming as supreme bestowed leader shed find a way to reach out to those willing. anything was possible her next grunt of minimal effort guided darker meanings into the stone. _where i am coming, destruction awaits. i have been awakened from among you to see truth. i invite you reading this and -_ her carving ran on into the next letters but ran dry of liquid.

ontonycterys frowned down at her claws first her right then the left. she had more unfinished business with her former cave-mates it seemed, more then letting the blind when they bothered getting on up here to this cave to take note of her no longer ignorant absence. she saw a pool of vermilion welling up from a wound near ones heart shed expertly stabbed her claws into, ending its suffering. returning with flesh liquid gave her the next idea for her closure to what she wished the blind to read, if they ever did. - _and my message clawed into those bodies behind you to encourage the right disision before your time is up._ a last few effortless slashes and her name was complete. _i am loaw veen ontonycterys._ and so she was. may her foes find that out soon enough. a fie was worth something if they knew her name. embrace it if wiling to understand. fear it if not. "ether way they have their warning. i have risin. come. and in just a few short months, weeks at perfect speed, all will rightfully come to know the great one. mighty is it to show mercy. mighty is the god protector."

* * *

how exactly did loaw veen come to risin supreme, ominous and loomingly intelligent being to threaten everything korin and his ilk? the shock of her life. or near? for all her repairers wit, the moons blessed one of its subjects had yet to tangle with the powers of a storm contained inside a creature, who could release at will. at least so went the theory. when that call came, she was half expecting her typically murderous subordinates recently acquired other half. "a skrill approaches! a skrill approaches!" loaw veen immediately felt sorry for that lookout, despite its having its memories back. everyone had a status he bonded to the night sky. everyone knew that place. their use. why perseverin decided she was above that. one of her spies sent to keep an eye on loaw dagny and if necessary, totally erase any trace of her existence, informed her shed gotten a skrill.

shed served the second leader briefly before snodussen took over. she remembered one such skrill joining their ranks for a time. was this that one? time to greet it personally and find it. from misdirected half enemy to full fledged follower. ontonycterys had use for those. why slay your enemy when you could make friends and understanding with it? she powered out of her personnel cave ignoring her personally selected large follower sentinels. shed detected no trace of fear in the lookouts tone. god. regardless she desired to meet her suburbanites misguided little lightning rod. she looked up. a sunny day and no clouds. rumor had it a skrill could conjure storms and drain lighting from it. so too rumored an inexplicable ability to track anything in the land with uncanny accuracy. pone fact was known: they didnt operate as night furys did, with stamina and null to take rests. where her kind had several qualities that made them superior to common dragon species, skrills, it seemed, had everything else.

including some night furys did not. her minds began ticking as she aimed for the spoken lookouts spur of rock. the creature, already there, quarreling with five breeders of darkness. "understandable, my children have heard of the species but not how to deal with it. him" she corrected seeing the adolescence immediately upon coming upon range "well theyll learn." a wily sloppy dance at deterring the defective followers, not landing many blows. suseeding merely in deterring the cautious creatures from blows likewise,. no one won. shed change that. a last horizontal flap and she was there. "stop. cease your dives not want to harm you, merely figure out who we are and why its false master gave it the wrong idea about coming here." the followers saw who entered their midst. they backed off just as the tong skrill spotted her.

its manner stiffened visibly. loaw veen understood it: lethal intent. furthermore she recognized what loaw dagnys intent with her eletriuc puppet was here, before he even said it. "you! the one allied with the two legged flesh and blood filth. a kind night fury told me where you were. these bothersome others tried obstructing me but my disgust strength and powers were not for them. they are for you." a teltale few electric bolts cracking along his scales, the air suddenly saturated with static electricity. the leaderd try niceties first, for posterity's first impressions sake, if not, well...she gestured with one sheathed paw at the nest in a wide arc. the tying skrill seemed transfixed by it. "may we welcome you to the home of the night furys skrill. sadly we do not offer lightning and a recharge or a mate of the same species if youve come for that. we however offer our hospitality and greeting if youre willing to to tolerate differences."

he scowled saying nothing. ontonycterys knew hed not hear her summoning those who could could communicate telepathically trough the moon, to cut off the skrills potential escape. she would have him: oh how shed obtain her subordinates misguided puppet. the trick was to make him feel welcomed. enough so to disarm his previous mission. she forced a smile. "we are all equal here. and peaceful. none of us wish you any harm. if youre just passing through, you have little to fear. were kind understanding benevolent beings." how true that statement really was thought the leader. the air suddenly soaked with ozone so thick one could swim in it. three bolts of lightning sparked out, one aimed at loaw veen. the others missed her. she hadnt hovered aside. the reaction on the skrill was surprise. he looked around for his target and found her to the left. a thunder rumble insidiously spoke its approach somewhere far off. "its powers are low. its staling for _refreshment."_ she thought.

the ozone spiked again, tingling all over her aerodynamic back spines. "dive! dive children dive!" commanded the leader as last minute she knew the next attack wasnt for her. seven more followers joined the suitable call for reinforcements. the majority threw themselves downward one was too slow, sloppy. she cried out as lightning sizzled on her wings. he felt a few plasmablasts of his own pounded by alkaline fire. he hovered to meet the attack only for it to pound him below followed by a swipe to the side of the tail that loosened a few scales. "is that the best you can do? my parentsd disagree." no its not my best. my best would kill you, young beast of the light. it is true we are humble beings. sentient. but we dont like harassment for no reason. were dedicated in that regard." her voice floated.

"and speaking of wich where are your friends? sounds like quite a story." the young skrills eyes found her. a strange icicle stabbing sensation seeped into loaw veens bones at contact. she rode out the experience, facing it curiously. a soulless creature. a destroyer capable of no else. it could not create. she had use for it in her coming defece against the blind resistant. "you want to know? dead. gone. my anger against two legged worms is unending due to their filth across this land. i swear thers more of them then dragons. my mother and father the only creatures i ever knew in my life: killed by flesh and bloods. long ago. ill slay anything that i deem or claims to be allied with them. my powers are built for revenge. to destroy those that have any connections. it happened while i was away riding the storm. i came back. they were dead. lifeless. metal teeth struck them through;. struck them through like so like insignificant witless bears. how can they not know us intelligent beings? maybe its them they are incapable of thought. i found an intimidate trail of two leggeds around them. i sent the storm down upon them _all!"_

the roar of hatred seeped out of his outward icy soulless calm. the rumble of thunder much louder. several of ontonycterys followers hovering resisted whining anxiously. loud sound was not their strong suit. "every last one. sizzled and shocked to a crumbling dust. it was too late for them. my parents were gone. the masters of greater storms then i: silenced. i will never forget he flesh and bloods for that. ever." rain began drizzling down in drops. then in greater numbers. a flash of natural lighting speared the air somewhere outside the vicinity of the nest accompanied by a sharp thunderclap. her followers were doing an admirable job of staying put. "so i followed the two leggeds that looked like same as the ones id ended, eliminating any i came across along along my way., it took me several years, but i found them. but not two days ago i was caught in the act. bound and hindered from using my powers. i dont know how. thrown in a contraption like a wild animal. i heard the tales from other lesser creatures what they did to unfortunates. i assumed id suffer the same. until **she** came along." the disgust on her followers face to be was evident. the rain was now pouring in sheets. loaw veen deduced hed reached his shockingly powerful crescendo of feeling like he had power here. shed be sorry to disappoint.

"she solved everything. i believed her word the other black fury of yours was involved somehow. and took action against it. he made all the moves. while the albino seemed to protect and deemed. defend me. she seemed a just soul. she freed me. i had a dept to repay. how could i not? we struck terror into the heart of the black one. i wanted to kill him instantly but she insisted i not. his suffering would come. no. instead she had me do another errand. use my tracking ability to find the night fury that looks like you. she mentioned the dead making two leggeds were in league with you. i didnt see any on my way here but that doesnt mean there arnt nearby. your guile is hollow. i know you are not pleased by my presence. a fact youll soon mo longer have to face. these others i have no quarrel with, after all she insisted not they had anything to do with the filth. i hope youre happy hearing my tale, before you die."

lightning suddenly flashed downward into the skrills body. but it did not harm. he glowed with static electricity all over. ontonyctreysd heard of this tactic. by superpowering he could use it on his foes. "scatter" she commanded aloud. refreshed and re-energized by his own storm, the young skrill opened his maw and exhaled his pure lighting at ontonycterys. a follower brazenly without thinking threw himself in front of his leader hollering "you will not harm one to direct us where were need to go." it was one of her barrel chested sentinels, left despite her orders for them to stay. he took the hit directly. the skrill ignored the faltering ebony obstacle and his cry of pain, charging at ontonycterys full force. some followers saw this, unsure weather to aid or lest her have this one. their leader soon layed their concerns at ease. "leave him. he is mine. he only wants my scales, of wich he thinks hes going to obtain easily. this is my fight." she shot off at full speed north, leaving an astonished skrill in the dust. he roared and set off after alight with electricity. loaw veens apparent fleeing wasn't any random direction. shed said to remain, but the telepathic command lanced into the frazzled one-hit-wonder sentinel and the other at the cave. _you two. come with me_.

...

her speed surprised her fer foe. took more effort then a normal fury to attain/maintain equal speeds due to her encrusted wings, true, but what she soon planned on happening to her would be worth the cost. shed used most of her strength reserves battling that long awaited drastic fight between both her traitorous subordinates (anther story valdis loaw dagny perseverin) and mind dazzled deathbringer alterious working for the blind in her private cave. though loaw dagny wasnt much of a plotter when it came to it, preferring to readily tear the wings off an enemy instead, relying on on aranidae for the brains,. like now, shed known shed emerge the vicroir. like now, she expected shed outlast her foe. not dull to brains or brute force. rather understanding the foe thoroughly and their telling mannerisms they couldn't help but excrete. her strategy wasnt like lose azeros, all muddied up with slippery plans. hers was following that of her creater. a healthy sense of caution would help her: she had a head on her shoulders, she could use it without letting it get too inflated.

"one does not go into a fight thinking theyll lose. such is the nature of all beings who choose to quarrel. rather that be enlightened follower or not." she had plans at play. toough the beast of perseverins might not be aware behind his limited frustration perceptions she was fleeing. she was **leading!** _stay far enough back until i have need of you my children. he will ignore you unless provoked. and every one of my followers is precious to me._ she sent the telepath to her sentinels. knowing they presued further behind. the skrills artificial storm extended far out past the boundaries of her nest. but she didnt intend to take her quarry far. it probably expected her to be scared of the thunder and lighting, as itd probably tried that on previous dragons. maybe night furys? this creatures powers needed work. if it couldnt aim and fire bolts accurately how would it sussed in life?

natures way made these creatures weak down the line. ontonycterys use one of her favorite tactics: use the enemy's strengths against it. not so well on dragons like silverwings son but certainly worth a try here. her ear frills caught occasional words shouted at her, probably empty insults, too far ahead to hear. lightning stunned blindingly from the clouds overhead and thunder boomed deafeningly. the dragoness didnt flinch, utterly confidant in the moon. something bluish-white caught her periphery: the telltale glow of lightning lancing out along the young skrills wings, up and out into the cloud. that attack was far more accurate and deadly then simply aiming ones snout and breathing out. _now_ she commanded. twin plasmablasts glowed violet before they slammed her assailant. two become four became eight became a dozen shots fired between the two bodyguards. for the skrill his hide was thicker, doing little more then annoy. but Quick retaliatory moves like that distract him from channeling his abilities to strike from the clouds.

took time. time tart loaw veen had to insure he didnt attempt such too often. the young skrills pursuit halted. debating whether to tangle these two sentinels too far away top swipe a warning tail; at or flinging himself after the single one loaw dagny made him swear hed eradicate most satisfyingly. "go all out on that thing. i dont care how you do it. shes allied with those two leggeds. spare me the half heart to do it and and attend to the task yourself. enjoy.' shed used before departing, with a last contemptuous withering glance at aviis torn up slumped smoking form, more bloody electrified mess then night fury. "leave this to the vultures of the human world to clean up. theyll poke their former failure of a colleague full of holes. once they realize how useless he was." this far away fleeing scrappy pest was connected with the disposer that obliterated contented life as it knew it.

he would ensure this dragon payed for it. he waited a bit, frustrated at his own (slow) efforts to stay at a reasonable speed. why couldnt his wings work _faster?_ he concentrated tightly bringing his static electricity to bear, feeling it harmlessly flowing from him into his cloud hed crated, not at all minding the rain that came with. he stumbled, small explosions going off and more fireballs impacted his tail. on the third such foiled attempt, he whipped around with a snarl curling his jaw, teeth visible. lihghing went off all around illuminating hos innocent yet cruel demenour. "are you **trying** to get yourselves electrocuted? i dont want you. i have no quarrel with you weak ones. stay clear of me and you wont have any issues. whats your problem?" as soon as he stopped, they immediately slowed to hover, silent. he wouldnt get any responses from them i seemed. "stay clear of me night furys" he snarled again turning forward ready to accelerate again after...accept she was no longer in sight. curses! had her speed carried her out of sight entirely? a thunderclap boomed, both sentinels slicking their ear plates to their heads systematically, resisting their urges to flee. amid the peal of mirthful laughter.

"haaha you misguided soul, thats how dragons like you dont get it. i hold no love for two leggeds, i am sorry they took your parents. could imagine theyd make great servants to the master, and ours. but if you quench your witless anger ill tell you the truth, my skrill. ill tell you all." his crowned head ticked up toward the clouds. "dont play games dragon. that will just make your suffering take longer, most pleasing to me." followed by random lightning bolts from the yonug skrill at cloud power. quicker. took less thought. feeding his lightning through his body into the clouds took longer, more effort. first he had to see his target for where to strike his bolts via the storm. a shadow loomed above, the skrill fired a bolt there. no cry of pain. just a mirthful laugh. "you poor creature. youve reduced yourself to the low begotten likes of every flying dragon you come across. not all are going to tell the truth. you must grow up fast in your mind to understand that." the young skrill excreted lightning from inside again and again. each a miss.

"you cant goad me, dragon. im smarter then that. youll fall before me. i can come after you no matter where you seek to hide. i can store the electricity from a storm inside me forever. it calls to for you. theres no shortage of power i can contain." he tried listening for wingbeats but she was too good fir that. "power isnt everything. our kind found that all too well in your ways of life. did you stop to think about one thing?" her breathed electricity on the direction of the voice, unwilling to fumble around on his own storm cloud. "what are you going on about, silly creature"? what lies? what little lies did two leggeds inform you to say?" before ontonycterys responded another voice broke the silence. of everything the leader planned on it wasnt this one. "whats sizzling here? son? is that you?" the face that hovered out of the cloud cover wasnt what the young skrill at all expected.

another skrill! far older and battle hardened then the current, dwarfing him in size. he looked at the far away forms of loaw veens followers. with what could be described as god complexioned disdain. "are these gnats troubling you?" with an infinitesimal gesture lighting instantly crackled through his swings in a dazzling display (the adolescent skrill seemed to think so) lightning zipped up into the clouds, two bolts striking down procicely where they hovered at the same time they fired off a volley of fireballs at the new dragon. he met their projectiles with electricity from his jaws almost casually. "pleased to meet your arrival, wise one" greeted ontonycterys voice after shed composed her mild mannered unguarded surprise, particularly as to the specific identity this older dragon was. not many skrills existed in the land. her mind already whirled.

the other mildly looked up in the direction of her voice. "if you dont reveal yourself, pest, ill be forced to make you come down. kinda a shocking experience to test my warning, but im not the one taunting the one with lightning at my command. loaw veens brown form lowered from the haze, playing along. "hmm i was right. there was a connection between you two. this other could hardly count as a threat, with all that power at his claw-tips. disappointing. but very soon will belong to me. now you...if memory served correctly as my note taking time as a follower serving my now subordinate loaw dagny...you were once hers too. her very first. the one that came to be one with the faith. shortly after she lost it to snodussen. interesting that you still live. i thought after valdis broke its hold (another story return of nonas skrill) she asked you to join her righteous cause, loaw perna disposed of you. perseverins false first death at the time i heard about through rumors in the ranks, but not about you."

her eyes glowed triumphantly. "you were once ours. wer evaklyl lothal." if ontonycterys believed the young skrills aura/gaze to be piercing bone sucking soulless icicle stare, akin to those of am underwater shark or king cobra, dead and uncaring, the other was truly so. at the same time radiated a strange scene of sarcasm, as if picking that up somewhere along its life and decided to wrap itself up in it. the olders jaw curled. "you dont like much, worm. disinteresting. fly off to whatever rocky cave you live in. thats all you secret-keepers do anyhow: secret yourselves away for life, pretending to know everything and learning nothing. you deluded minds." a boom above their heads seemed to agree. the dragonesses eyes narrowed slightly. "is that an invitation to do battle? a battle you can not hope to win? itd show the god protester just how worthy you can truly be. im up for it if you are. im paving the way for the god protector to rule." a something flashed there behind his orbs but ontonycterys detected it in a flash, pleasing her: venomous scorn. "i cannot even answer that with a scoff. **more** preposterously loudmouthed slimers full of themselves? how broad has that ego gotten since i made myself scarce? that lecturing pureness nonsense still going on? how disappointing: id expected night furys matured a tad and shed that dashingly handsome selves, flitting silently about commanding attention. how many mores come flocking in a long line to preen and fawn under your lousy banner?"

"more then enough for our needs. but we are constantly looking for more. the roads open to you, lothal, if you are willing. night furys are not our limitations. some past inexperienced leaders that did not quite make it believed our kind to be superior to all others. that would be foolish of us." she answered honestly. "by the way you talk id say not as much as youre crying out for scraping at existence to achieve. put a wing it it. pathetic. the fact anyone would believe in a moon is ridiculous in the first place. the whole **concept** is foolish of you. quit meddling in other dragons affairs. our kind knows what goes on around us. if yours insists on warring and quarreling and making others besides yourselves look bad, mischief makers of the land and sea, leave skrills out of it: were not interested. content as we are. leave other species out of it too, i cant speak for the other lizards with wings but i can bet their not too happy with your mess ether, but only to willing to bite you for it if you thrust snouts where they dont belong. wheres the idea of 'leave everyone alone' been?"

loaw veen closed her eyes momentarily sending telepathic instructions to her sentinel duo. "im afraid we cant do that, lothal. we have a duty and a mission tasked with completion. i know some dragons will die fighting our ways to its last inevitable conclusion, because they just dont wish to accept anything we have to offer. the question of whom is up to them. but this land shall be ours. if youll not reacquaint with the master like all smart minded beings, perhaps not today, it finds you. count on my word as a believer, lothal. its true. " his soulless gaze penetrated into the dragonesses disdainfully. "im no ones pet. one tried changing me, two actually, just wasnt myself at the time. im not at the call of their command to fry furys and dragons they dont like. thought they dandily could do whatever they wanted with my body and my powers. made me a minion in their freakishly misguided posse. as a tool of their whims. well i showed _them._ if they cant find me you cant use me. fried those smiles of self congratulation right off their faces. no one will lay paws on me again. got that?"

ontonycterys opened her jaws, aiming three half charged fireballs at the sane time sending the telepath to her sentinels. _new plans. drive the young skrill up into the cloud cover. ill do the same. distract him only. keep it alive. i have other plans for those._ he loosed a growl taking flight into the young skrills artificial storm. hos astonished son, shocked to see his not dead father not silenced by the heavy cruel hand of man, bombarded by two night furys to persue. lightning flashed out of his wings into the sky. bright light stabbed all about, one pure luckily got ontonycterys. she giggled rather then scream. "very cute, lothal. that tickles. my extra coat of scales i was borne with saves me from the bolts. but thank you for making such a scene, as much as make yourself too big a target to miss." this skrill was different, ever slower to anger.

anger didnt drive its attacks. though expected as a wizened aged being. however his attacks struck closer to home, sometimes several lightning bolts striking the leader at once causing her to giggle facetiously. and shrill at the sizzling sensation. plamablasts impacting the young skrill some distance away between monstrous thunderclaps could be heard. "stop that irritating air. you want to test me. tempt me at yer peril. i dont jest or quip. the other non gibbering dragons have a just cause. your kind parade about bellowing emptily about yours." loaw veen slammed skrillix from below fiercely enough to stun. her muscly forearms could begin their work. rake wicked hard blows. she swerved and tolled to the other side as he breathed lightning at that spot, firing it again. "no one messes with my mind, not now not ever. ill fry any dragons who thinks they can do it again."

his expresson changed listening to the path of glowy light out there on the clouds accompanied by alkaline fireballs shot by her sentinels. he demanded to know what they were doing with his son. loaw veen hid a calculating smile. ah so he **did** have feelings behind that soulless exterior. well. "mmm. bad news, lothal. he wont be joining us today. its going to bond with the master very soon upon its rising. it can be very persuasive. on the positive side youve far exceeded my expectations how quiet your aggressiveness is. good on you." lightning stabbed down near ontonycterys. "so many ideas and so little time, but please: i am enjoying this. ill give you the first chance to strike me down." skrillixs expression: flat.

"why you ask? because im a good sport who relishes a worthy opponent. you have been that for me. and if i didnt the battle would end here. and what fun would that be?" she hovered as skrillix barreled toward her lighting bolts hit her dead on. it hurt more then she let on. she dropped a few feet as skrillixs teeth snapped closed on the space seeking her throat. she pivoted and claws into his left. "didnt get as far as id thought." "what for dragoness." she avoided another lightning bolt. "that so? im sorry you feel that way. was i not a worthy adversary? dont answer that. your surrender speaks volumes." when skrillix aptly realized he could not win this battle he changed his attacks and altered tactics, his becoming defecncive, blows fueled halfheartedly he began his retreat. the leader figured as much. she wouldnt let skrillix. hed plummet as a disfigured wreck on the earth in his own soulless storm, the job snodussen thought accomplished. she allowed his ploy to play along for a time, thinking hed distracted her to vanish into the storm and away. but ontonycterys was listening...

...

the young skrill had more susses against two to one then there leader was, being less experienced, the electric beset permission here and jovial about each lightning he breathed usefully on the enemy. though his thoughts returned to the other she (loaw dagny) ask he thoughtlessly erase all traces of. but..that wasnt quite true. his father: alive! those scale patterns unmistakable. but how? how did he escape alive? the last he saw of daddy flesh and bloods plunged their metal teeth in him. for how minuscule their size they wielded themselves how to avoid his fathers lightning. hadnt wanted to harm them, more correct the statement "they are thieving pillaging warthog pigs with smarts, creatures that come and go. natures accident. im indifferent to them. they cant harm a skrill. they got all those other lesser stupider dragon classes out there top go harm anyway."

his father was carelessly passive of them. his son went after therm actively, with a vengeance. were all that singing of flesh that caught his eye i the datliht all for nil? he longed to prod why but these two furys wouldnt leave him alone. couldn't channel his other power that down them for good from the sky when they barraged him like that. dance to and fro, whirling about in the midst of the adolescent skrills element, a dance with death they risked, not amused or happy to be up here with it. so why not fly home? somewhere wherd they stop bothering him so much? so difficult a task? where were their logic? everyone knew night furys were seclusive creatures, acting all smugly superior. knew they kept to themselves. until; lately in the last seven years or so their sudden switch to an active flood-the-land-ranting-purity-or-perish logic that is. skrills didnt care. they were calm and collected icy as could be. he wasnt suppose to care ether, accept he did with the knowledge two leggeds ended his father or so it appeared.

his father very much alive stunk of something not right here. ether that wasnt his father or...a new surge of something flooded the electric creatures veins, causing his natural spark to fizz ever brighter/faster across his scales. "she deceived me. she lies! she used me! she manipulated my eager self to be free to slice that one connected with humans. but he didnt. a sham. a lie" he hissed, furious, eyes narrowing as it dawned. "wretched night furys." a new thought as he hovered there. was she one of those join-me-or-die kind? thoughts if that type hadnt occurred before. she might very well be, remembering keenly on her variety of smiles flashing across her mug most of the time the young skrill cast sidelong looks. ugh. played for a fool, dimwittedly pulled along her convincing string of syllables. doing this **for** her. **for** another dragon. immediately accepting her word for fact. he did that too often. time to stop. time to leave these haughty creatures, find his father and leave these arrogant irritating mentally messed up lizards far behind. they didnt deserve a lightning bolt. too petty for that. with conflicted emotions in tow the young skrill took to the heart of the storm hearing the twin night furys wingbeats. the sound of another battle in the clouds pulled him toward it.

...

"you are beginning to bore. and when im bored im deadly." warned skrillix. ontonycterys looked at her paws thoughtfully, the last of the puzzle sliding into place. right on qeue the ting skrill appeared fantastically. her followers wouldn't be far behind. loaw veen addressed that. _no my children wait. stay back in the cloud cover. listen. i suspect something very dawning to your attacker is going to change, making it ripe for conversion. just wait where you are. no further engagement is necessary for now._ as expected the son of skrillix ignored her flying to him. "father. how can it be? last time i saw you were dead. how? i punished all the flesh and bloods i could see when i discovered both of you." the leader flapped where she hovered excited. this 'father' of her rightful follower-in-the-making, loaw dagnys first unsuspecting deeply rooted tied prize, would be the instrument of its own destruction.

shed mentally take him apart piece by piece. this other had to go. she flew to the top of the cloud where the air lay thin and waited. skrllix had no trouble finding her there; crowned head popping above the cumulonimbus. the leader prepared herself, pushed her heavy form higher still. skrillix remained right where he was, letting electricity light up his wings this time downwards. ontonycterys knew this was it. the final strike. she tried conjuring up a few fireballs to ward off the attack but up this high the reliable oxegon her alkaline fire required to ignite in her throat wouldnt come. uh oh. the bolts came, five of them, bright flashes of powerful force up from the cumulonimbus into her. a cry and what appeared to be a toppling form toward land far **far** below..skrillix grunted contentedly diving after. was this the end of the god protectors leader so soon? skrillix in his own unsuspecting was about to find out. a flurry of telepathy back and fourth, one seemed confidant of itself. _now. my children of the night? can you hear me? hows the task going? did you do as i asked?_ another voice established the connection through the night sky. _ah great one. im still getting used to this in my head experience. we are nearly ready._

 _their_ _fleeing for their lives. we saw some docile ones after we rid the party of their metal teeth that could damage what we intended to do. but we got them on the run, just as you requested._ did the first confidant soul detect a bit of overconfidence in that communication? _good. good. bring them here. ive got a worthy quarry in mind for them some need to see._ finished the instructions. the commands wernt directed at the sentinels. all in time. thing now was for skrillix to believe...believe and hope he preconceived a dead form impacting the earth in a convincing manner, shortly. his earlier statements were incorrect. night furys **did** secret themselves away, but only to gather necessary frames of mind to go out into the land proclaiming the truth of the night sky. providing them with a better alternative. he was incorrect in the fact night furys knew everything and learned nothing. they were not perfect. thats what the god protector was. loaw veen and he followers merely served it. mistakes were bound to be made with dragon error. they knew things. they learned more by the day in their willing servitude to the great one. skrillix was about to learn his own.

* * *

the violet colored ball from Valhalla seemed to keep his men on the run. awreed with their steadfastness and miht and purity here, sure, nor muth use when lokis tricksters of trickery "nert furts" showed up from nowhere abse began asulting hois men. peaceful vuikimngs if ytiuo couild call them that from the cleaver tribe. name moer intimidating then its vilafers. mostly a territorial peaceful kept to themselves lot, dragon killers in thier hayday perhaps, more likened rto ab iold conflict thst went oit f stytkle years ago. not all cousins of the other neighboring villagers were as docile. they slaughterer dragons only if they had to. today interchangeably fir them might be one sutch. and here theyd gone lightly armed into the not chopped down green lush forest, both for a mercy on thier feet and so thier food came right to their village fresh as could be.

no potential "friendly viking welcome" gift offering that might be poisoned needed. other villages were only to wiling to offer that. more territory fire them. hohhoho and a bottle of rum. armed only with one crossbowman whod not feared that thing in the first place, a couple of long spears and halibars and another whose inconspicuous shears were better preformed in hacking branches to obscure their trek then impaling a dragon. least of all the "nert furt" a variety that seemed bent on sending all seven to Valhalla. "oie: sighted the group "why ye couldnt it be any other time of day?" so the call came to cower and hide. dealing with a fire breathing dragon seemed too daunting a task fter a lapse of it. all they wanted was to find the newest batch of wild berries. their chef would be pleased of a plentiful catch was located on their first trek out. the most bold of the group their sharpshooter of the lot, gone awash from existence in purple vaper. other then that none of the other explosive impacts seemed to reach the.

it certainly kept his men moving for fear of turning into their deceased comrade. the winged evils stayed out of reatch when the cleavers could see them through the sky. a fact one pointed out. "not good captain. those 'nert furts' have us on the run. not a hit on us left yet but mes thinking it wont be long before were cut off. and bone dry in having any food to report to chef duros, storms a comin sir,"a knobbly finger pointing to the ominous storm brooding clouds bearing in the direction they were headed. "if i didnt know any better, Ferrell id say those vile life suckers were guiding us right to it." Ferrell nodded. "aie captain. would seem so, should we face these things as vikings?" he didnt finish. or flee like sissies axe handles between their legs? was about time the cleaver tribe lived up to their namesake. handling a Couple 'nert furts' rare tough they may be shouldn't be to much of a problem.

time as well they ceased being teased by tougher named tribes they earned the title of **feared** lilke the4 berserker and bullroughers. someone called out behind. "that aint no ordinary storm. by thors tangled beard! its..its..a sizzle-skaa!" indeed it wsa. the name sent a shiver through the villagers. if one thought 'nert furts' were bad, sizzle skaa is far worse. not many seen by the villagers. these bunch? about to. a sizzle skaa was quite hard to miss. all that memorizing whorl of electricity like a manifesto of power. "thors thunderers" often referred to by vikings. aptly named. maybe a sught that sent the knees a knockin and the hands a jittering and the eyeballs a buldgin beneath that bulls helmet. Thor must be angry with someone here if a sizzle skaa was sighted here. angry with them? no one knew the whims if the gods one hoped was on their side. another villager gestured, half of the belligerent "nert furt" force flew low over their heads and met the electric bringer Harold-ed a single of their number from the clouds, flying all about it, doing the exploding analiting purple thingie theyd done to them to keep them moving. Ferrell winced, awed at the spectacle beholden to his eyes. what went on here?

* * *

 _n_ _ow barrage it. dont let up_ said loaw veen. if she could figure out how to convert her triumph and contemptuous closure of another situation sacked as leader, she wouldve expected that too, to give her breeders of darkness the victory they deserved. boost their morale in looking up to her and in her. she didnt want skrillix figiriog out er plans, she dared hope her bodyguards kept the young skrill busy out of sight back in its storm. therd be some discussion if they flew here. the new breeders darkness made some last purposely inaccurate shots to the two leggeds below (oh how ontonycterys guessed it took some willpower to do that, flying to join her side. after all humans accomplished nothing but make dragons lives of all kinds miserable. the was no possible way her would be foe could flee now. not unless it possesses some magical properties besides lightning loaw veen didnt know about.

"do you remember them, lothal? remember how you did not care? indifferent? i know you have feelings behind that facade. why else so vehement about swapping sides hating perseverin with a vengeance? you feel things. i know you do. you only pretend not to. but deep down in that crusty heart of yours two leggeds did once nearly kill you. so goes the tale." she let skrilixs lightning bolt sizzle through her. "you can do no more then appropriately confirm what i already know: your overexcited son told me. told me your story. i found it useful. its not coinsdance two leggeds are here lothal. theyll make sure you dont see the light of day. the light of any kind." even as she uttered this she flew at him, aware what hed do next. skrillix turned right to escape, and found a night fury there. he turned left, a night fury blocking that way. two prohibited him going forward. four up above. he shrugged letting lightning build into his wings intending to strike them all down.

moments away from dazzling all in his way, she was there to slash into him and begin shredding scales off his side, spawsming as some of his eccentricity surged through her. skrillix kicked her in the stomach hard with a growl. he managed to let off his power anyway bolts hitting from the sky where eatch follower hovered. their cries of startled pain drove loaw veen into skrillixs side again swiping scales wherever her muscled claws could connect, distracting progression of escape or further harming her precious dragons. he whipped around smacking ontonycterys with his tail impatiently to distance her. she promptly grabbed for the appendage, hefted her strength, heaved back on the startled creature; letting go as he reflexively momentarily electrified his whole outer scale covering .

"its interesting" thought the leader, dodging weaving and lashing out with her talons further annoying skrillix. "the different species of unbelieving dragons. some dont speak, sutch as the ones my subordinate tried to lead, the deadly nadders, who dont speak while laying low their enemies to us. daring of him, yes, but i would not have used them. theyd make no more use then a servant soldier to the master. isnt the whole point to express joy to the enlightened one?" "get off! this is the last time i ask" warned the skrill craning his neck around to get off a bolt. ontonycterys payed that no mind going about her business. her followers plus the sentinels closed ranks through the clouds, leaving no avenue of escape should their target chose it accept down...and the two leggeds. skrillix noticed them, smallish pink shapes on the ground came into his eyes.

"that low? your kind stoops humbly to the insignificance of two legged flesh and bloods? youre even more desperate for shout-and-be-merry creators then i thought. this was no accident. you fools brought them here. goaded by something: what?" what indeed. ontonycterys smiled a confidant smile. "your death skrillix. all an unfortunate accident. your son wont know any the better in the end. this is a good thing, my former understanding creature. your ambitious enthusiastic son shall be able to serve with open eyes faithfully under us. under me. hell feel useful under the great one: passionately serving and carrying out its will. ill look after him, lothal, more then you ever did. he may look different on the outside but on the inside we all are happy to serve the enlightened one."

the leader made a gesture to her assembled night furys, measuring her electric adversary up. "any last words? any last little snippets of regret in that flat heart of yours? or perhaps, some remnant of our enenys rebellion left on you? i heard down the line, and by extension, my subordinate validis loaw dagny, did a number on you despite what you resonate, or words of encouragement to that young skrill?" as expected, he flapped expression unemotional. "i have nothing to say to overrated blow-fish pretending to be normal sociable dragons. it didnt work well for you then it certainly isnt working now." _time to down him. fire upon the skrill and dont let up. ill make the final strike._ to skrillixs accord she finished what she wished to say. "well them i guess this is where we go our separate journeys. this is the end of yours."

* * *

all of a sudden the twin attacks and general harassment of him, braving his warning return bolts from his maw ceased. the environmentd gone very dark. not from the storm though that wasnt helping maters. the moon was rising. twilight was neigh. the adolescent skrill not bothered with it. though it wondered if it perhaps the cause of the abrupt halt. whatever the cause, free from attack, the young skrill flapped hopefully flapped at the last place he saw father. finding at the edge of his periphery the dual attackers dropped away onto the mist. served those obsidian bats right for tangling with a skill. smart theyd let it go. not far into the fading storm (he had no use for it) he heard wingbeats not his own or by them, breaking hard at a dark blotch distinguished itself in his view. her! further confusing it was the expression glimpsed on her muzzle: concern. now what could be the cause if that emotion, marring the snout of a species so high and snobbish? seeing her again spurred a brief flash of emotion itself, but seeing daddy alive, believing the words the white one claimed his fathers death. two leggeds.

she wasn't worth wasting lighting bolts on now. the entire subject of his justified vengeance: alive. loaw veen placed herself in the young skrils oath, noting the lack of eye contact a it adjusted its course top swerve to the side. she did the same, checking its progress he finally succeeded by swerving right, she swerved to block, it ducked quickly under an continuation, ontonyctycterys remained hovering. "oh lost child, im afraid you wont find your father there. your story has no happy ending. hes gone." his form, shadowed by his storm. ontonycterys did not peruse, ordering any followers in its flight-path to do the sane, not that the young skrill would pay them any mind. some beings would have to find out for themselves, the hard way. see the proof of the evidence right before them. they only way the hardheaded would. the leaderd orchestrated things just the way they needed to be.

the lst piece of the puzzle as that skrill. it claimed not to care about nothing and noone. but loaw veen knew that not to be true: he _did_ care about some things. one driving its ego, oh yes there was such an electric passion in that heart of his as its father, vengeance of two leggeds. shed fit those two environments together nicely. it was up to her soon to be follower to figure it out. "father! father!" its at first bright sizzling voice called out top the clouds. but there was no reply. it didnt care if it gave its position away to every would be creature intending it woes. nothing a little bit of lightning to its **shocked** muzzle couldnt handle. it hovered below the storm, finding it night. no sign of skrillix. wait no...the adolescent skrill turned its ficus downward a form lay sprawled on the packed moonlit earth below. a shudder traveled down its trail at the sight beholden him: for such a reaction to transpire in the first place must be akin to total shock on another dragon.

"father! father! no!" skrillix, that old bold dragon with that twinge of dry sarcasm, lay sprawled on the ground. jaws open. black marks adorning him like a fancy necklace. wings pitted and pocked. surround by two leggeds. two leggeds? two leggeds! theyd done this after all? how... _dare_ they? how...the young skrills mind reeled as did he, uttery confounded. quickly morphed onto an anger it didnt know it had. lightning lit up its wings anew. theyd see...puny... _scared_ little flesh and bloods down there, milling round his fathers tragic courpose. momentarily its ambitious mind flicked to the night furys: did they do this? like the white one it made a debt to keep. anger at all this injustice, living an existence. knowledgeable flesh and bloods was the cause of skrillixs death while he was a dragonet, used to it. its body bristled letting out a roar. lightning tore the sky. back in the depths of the fading storm, ontonycterys smiled to herself. she knew that roar. that adolescent skrilld taken the bait. two problems solved in the space of an evening. it was hers now. now and forever.

...

when at last the roaring the absence of sounds abated, when at last the last wisps of the artificial storm faded into the crisp cold night, the young skrill returned in sight of loaw veen. she was hovering there still, waiting for the inevitable set of circumstances instinct told her would come to pass. its rather expressive snout hinted a hot rage, and resentment, the most dominant: satisfaction, she guessed correctly. now for the snare. "do you feel better my confused friend? do you feel a gnawing hole in that raging aching heart of yours fulfilled at long last? i can sympathize. i may not be leader of a great movement soon to come, but what ive felt from my master...im in the same place. were not so different, you and i. did the death of those flesh and bloods, so small so weak so helpless before the powers of the storm, empower you? you needent answer that. your proud face says it for you. we share alot in common."

the adolescent skrill shot her a look as it prepared to leave, slowing as it neared. expression: guarded. anger, there, subsided vastly as it gotten at last what it thirsted for, total ahilliation of the two legged worms the leaders followersd herded carefully here, but still a hint. ontonycterys could read her enemies and subjects well now. shed raised the rebellious back to the light. a fraction anyway. shed turned the tide against them too, against those that dared to tempt the god protectors mission. if she could outsmart preseverin and aranidae, she would not be stopped. "what are you on about? i owe you nothing, silly creature. hold your tongue." she flapped closer casually. "or youll _what?_ electrocute me? come now thats the temperament of am immature dragonet. we can act like mature fullgrowns out here." she turned her attention to the crescent moon set in the cloak of night, knowing she had her targets slight attention, and that itd hold.

it was rather full of itself and drunk on its pride thinking itd 'miraculously' found those humans down there around its father ontonycterysd felled. even as a skrill, apparently disinterested in the world around it, yet so assuming and self centered, it knew so little. she also sensed something in its eyes, begging to be answered. shed talk directly to its question."your father? skrillix? you long to know the answer. hes dead, my friend. the two leggeds got to him." the young skrill hovered fully in font of her expression darkening. "i know that already, you insignificant little smoothtalker. i dont need you to tell me that. you know nothing of my past. do not act like you do. i came to do what i had to do, per the white ones suggestion, though it turns out she partly lied about her intentions and used me for her own gain. now those issues are resolved. stay out of my way. i dont want to see you again. or any night fury."

loaw veen nodded understanding its reasoning. "you are right. that unfaithful dragoness did lie to you. she was, shall we say, a sournful outcast from my group. shed steal and burn all plans any places and things she could not have. she is all gone isnt she? speaking of, your storm has passed. the moon is sure a spectacle isnt it?" she had nothing to fear from looking at it, but the adolescent sure did. unfortunately the change of subject didnt go unnoticed: smart creatures, skrills were. dull witted and unaware in everything else. shed give him that. but it wouldn't matter anyway. its expression drifted off of her, not the moon. past her. she was loosing its interest. ontonycterys hadnt gone through all that effort just to loose one of natures most powerful dragons. she opened her jaws. "i know there is nothing i can say to convince you. but there is something i can do that may sway your mind. its about your father. come. you may want to see."

she turned without hesitating to see if the adolescent skrill shadowed. she knew he would. she landed on the ground near the mass fresh devastation all around, taking it all in. the skrils wrath against her two leggeds clandestinely herded in from afar, intending to make it look as if theyd been the death of skrillix was absolute. it wasnt to know loaw veen been the death of it. the sky was absent of followers, or even her personnel assigned bodyguards, no thanks to aranidaes treachery. shed sent them away when the young skrill wasnt paying attention not that it would. she had no need for them now. entirety safe. her ear plates picked out the faint flapping of wings. "unless youre up there to make me shout or hurl a lightning bolt of witch you know that wont work on me come see!" silence was her answer. the wingbeats somewhere behind her didnt abate, witch was a good thing. "did you miss him? as i said before, my now saddened creature...we offer our hospitality. well welcome you with blunt talons and gentle wings if you allow us. the death of a dragon especially one close to us came be a grave moment in our life."

"get to the point! im not here for your sob story!" annoyed. flat. but with an edge of huge loss. "i didnt finish" continued loaw veen "she lied to you. perseverin. but you dont have to worry about her anymore. shes gone. " she let that sink in. she shifted to the side predictably as the adolescent skrill thumped down beside skrillixs cacresss. "you... _kill_ other night furys?" it asked in genuine wonder. ontonycterys nodded. "and your species is just..okay with that? no retaliation? nothing?" "it is the way of the land. i fight to defend and protect whom and what i must. we must. outside threats shall not be tolerated. there comes a limit to how welcoming night furys are. sadly for us a great deal many are deemed to be just that. i must act accordingly to compensate." "are you saying you're their figurehead? their leader or something?"

loaw veen smiled. try as she might she couldn't keep the triumph or malice out of that one. it didnt notice stealing a look at skrillix "he meant everything to me. well as much as one of us felt for another. him and mother. i at least could rest in righteous vengeance hunting down all two legged filth could glimpse and fry to oblivion showing no mercy. i eliminated them once around their apparent broken bodies. but...my father was alive, him. now gone again. and i didnt even get to say goodbye." it looked at ontonycterys not far away sidelong. "do you know what it is to feel pain, night fury? feel the empty pain of loss know and tear you up inside? especially in such cruel unfair circumstances?" here at last lay its vulnerability. it was trusting her. exceptionally rare for a skrill to do. but this one was young and had alot to learn. perhaps if the dragonessd met this soul later mature in its evolution in seeing life with its own eyes, such might not be the same encounter. itd learned to keep clammed and silent. one it chose to share willingly or subconsciously with a dragon not of the same species.

here was the dragonesses road in. the coming of a follower from a halfwit tool of perseverins petty desire to something that truly mattered: fully fledged follower. she circled skrillixs carecess ignoring the ash underpaw of witch used to be the essence of humans. "oh i do i do my friend. i understand your turmoil. i can help you fix that. i...i did not mean to come off in such an offclaw fashion when we first met. however you flitting around vigorously in the midst of those less experienced then i unable to calm them down didnt help maters. im sorry about that. let us start anew. i can ease your worries. your anxieties. all it takes..."she cut herself off. the adolescent skrill looked as of it might burst with expectation. "what is it? tell! dont make me shock it from you." ontonycterys knew she had won, all her patience playing out pricicely as she envisioned. "...is a simple glance at the moon. then **everything** will be clear."

* * *

- ** _five years current-_**

The large night fury shuddered, remembering all this, aiming for the nearby lake. The one most nest furys called 'the drinking lake'. At the mid day like this there wasn't to many of his kind present. For what if there were two leggeds might do to them of spotted here. If one could be tracked here, more flesh and bloods probably wernt too far behind. Blasted this were like flies. "spear us and skin us and for all kinds of unspeakable tings to our hides" muttered the dragon. sifting through that many memories made the fury understand how thirsty he was. thinking hard could o that. He landed at the lake thinking of nothing aside from satisfying himself. A quiet graceful blissful moment of refreshing liquid slipped down his famished throat with lapping up the substance, he didnt hear the even breathing not his own until he stopped to take a breath. He turned curiously, ever self reminded of lurking evil furys and what they could do to freed ones sutch as himself remembering what remained were fragments of a once great movement to purify everything in their masters path, knowledgeable ones or not. The former sentinel gazed at the other smallish night fury, not expecting him to be here, unsure what to do. Did he too know about the dangers of being alone?

then again he was a very wizened being for his seemingly nieeve age. Should the sentinel bow? Offer up a clear pleasant greeting? He, the real one behind the current state of things? Three blissfully merciful months in. the current dragoness placed in charge might be so out of ones stepping down on ones own free will but ut was this one that the nest fury felt truly earned his eternal respect and gratitude. "sorry to disturb your thirst. You need it. You deserve the peace. Dint mind me. Pay me no mind." The words slipped calmly out if the not-so-tiny dragons jaws, looking forward across the spawn if the kaje. The thirsty fury didnt know what to offer an apologetic answer like that, so he stayed silent. The other couldnt wait. "now that shes gone, don't you feel her bearing shadow shadow beginning to life? Do you feel free? Able to remember?" the former sentinels desire to fully quench his thirst, if not his fatigue, win out over a response. Thrusting his entire snout in the water with a splash gave him time to think of one, the other speaking aloud brought back the nastiness of what hed been apart of.

He full well knew what the _her_ referred to. Having his memory returned to him he as able to understand the hint. "seleena" continued the other fury. When he rose a second time, gasping totally undignified for air, about still not looking at him. "do you remember her? Mourn her? I do. Its been a long heavy road to get here. Many many deaths of hundreds if iutr kind ti achieve were we are right now. Sometimes I think: for what? What have we accomplished in the end? Yet they keep coming back. Testing. Prodding., gloating at out "blindness." Probing deeper and deeper at what what we most hold dear, for a bloody lifestyle not our own. The piece doesnt last. Sometimes I just have to wonder…will it ever end? Will peace be permanent? Can we praise ourselves if the plague thast seeks to besiege us and make us as its own?" the watching nest fury observed as the apparent placid calm and tranquility broke momentarily.

It lifted a paw and lowered it again, closing its eyes as if reminiscing its own personnel pain from its past. The larger nest fury bet it did. any dragon or dragoness that could face down four leaders, good night furys turned bad, with four wholesomely evil and devious methods to conquer thier lives as they knew it, with steadfastness and an iron will to hold onto the virtues of right and wrong, despite everything, despite death and bloodshead and probably best Friend turned enemy even the god protector itself, was far more then the nest fury could imagine. It took great determination to the point of insanity to do that. And still stand in the end. Anyoned elsed have fallen into temptation long ago. To look back and remember and never commit to the same mistakes again. Especially for one so nearly small like this fury. The former sentinel was large true, paling in comparison to deathbringer loaw nezere aterious who the dragond heard about in his servnig the night sky. But still.."but then I remember all those lives lost and remember..ill do what ill do to avenge them. Not blood with more blood. with words and a welcoming par of wings to insure no more dusent lurks behind shadowy corners. Past dragons did that way to often."

The larger shot the smaller a confused look, one it detected. "neglected those in the furthest reaches of his or her nest rule" clarified the smaller "didnt put fourth effort to make other brothers and sisters include those who felt as sutch. Its how we git to this, awful soul sucking sensation in the first place. I didnt pay enough attention to my father in the first place. The signs." "its not your fault" reassured the larger. The other opened his eyes, finally taking in the newcomer momentarily with what looked like restrained resentment. "in a way, it is. I should have done more. I lost everything I loved, thought was solid and tangible and wait until the day to act but I didnt. But it hasn't. my perception what is and isn't has changed. Because if that I see now what i otherwise then would not. I grew to overpower even the most sly of the leaders, aranidae. I possessed something he didn't: foresight."

"The will to tell right from wrong. Some things have changed. Some haven't. Above all else though thise dragons didnt die in vain. Nor did my father. I **chose** to believe there was good in him. Some day the words will see. I don't expect you to." Another moment of silence, then "I believe in you korin" not everything is perceived forever bad. Some things are meant to have a Turn in their lives and become good." Korins features turned upward in a wan smile, his lack of words speaking more then any could. Hed been through a lot. The former sentinel was right. Not all were bad, just, sometimes bad things happened to unfortunate dragons, in this case silverwing, and all the ensuingness hed caused long thereafter. A gigantic headache his surviving son of all dragons would come to mend and heal. The fact was, the moons pull was omnipresent, patient, the moond told him so in his encounter with it. If his father hadn't, someone else would've, skitiiva-insulted or not.

Dragons would've died anyhow. Somehow itd all link back to the tentative peaceful situation they now found themselves in. the one god thing the former nest ruler found solace in is the fact abydos informed him nonad seen the light in his eyes, later found out the moon could snap dragons free. The larger thirty fury, having found its thirst quenched addressed the one question on its mind since serving loaw veen ontonycterys/seleena. "if I may ask one question now that this obvious threat is over. Wgat about the ywo leggeds? Wil we be abke to forge any sort if peace pact with them?i mean we arnt mean anyore or bloodthirsty toward them. Perhais thers sa way?" korin brooded on that, thoughtful. Hed been so bound up in the casualties and ongoing trama all these months battling the god protectors brainwashing body altering he hadnt had time to mull over the bigger questions. sutch as that one. Maybe…just maybe there was a way. Hed have to present it to the new nest ruler, in a manner not so overwhelmingly complicated in terms her getting-used-to-the-duties-of nest-ruler would understand. Based on the knowledge nona and obuekhov and abydos put fourth before the fury, thier might be just a few two leggeds who may understand…..


End file.
